“They never could have imagined that a black man would lead this country."

President Barack Obama is turning 55 today. It is the officially the last time he’ll celebrate a birthday in the White House — and that reality makes me weep. Each moment that passes brings the Obama family, including first lady Michelle Obama and first daughters Malia and Sasha, closer to leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. On one hand, this is a relief as they family has faced a lot of unwarranted criticism. Yet losing them, and all they represent, also saddles me with sadness. For the past eight years, a black man has been commander-in-chief. While a woman might succeed him, there’s no doubt that politics won’t be the same without the black president with the cool stride, great sense of humor, and gentle heart.

Recently, I asked my father, born in 1960 in Detroit, if his parents and grandfather would be proud of Obama. “Yes,” he said unflinchingly. “They never could have imagined that a black man would lead this country. I never could’ve imagined it either.” His parents and grandparents migrated from Alabama to the Midwest at a time when Jim Crow racism hovered above the lives of all Southern black Americans.

White supremacy prevented them from living freely and aspiring to more than the roles they were relegated to. My great-grandfather died when a doctor refused to treat him after a car fell on him. Now, three generations later, a black man is commanding the military. It’s a miraculous feat that nobody could’ve foreseen.

We exist in a country where black Americans were enslaved, forced to assimilate, stripped of their names and cultural customs, and prohibited from educating themselves. Barack is one of the manifestations of their dreams and hopes for a future brighter than the one only death allowed them to escape.

This isn’t to say there isn’t room for criticism. Obama’s administration has deported more undocumented immigrants than any previous president. His embrace of drone strikes has resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians. He’s said Black Lives Matter, but many would like him to prove it by putting forth federal legislation that protects more black lives. But even with these flaws, it's impossible to ignore how much Obama means to many in the black community.

This is best exemplified by my favorite story from his presidency. A little boy visited the Oval Office and asked Obama if he could touch his hair to see if it's like his. We see him within us. We might not have this opportunity again for a very long time, so while Obama will surely celebrate many more birthdays, this one is special. It’s the last time we’ll get to collectively celebrate a black president for the foreseeable future.